- Feb 27, 2023
- 24
- 4
- 3
THE REST IS STILL UNWRITTEN
the early call of morning birds shakes the newly made apprentice from his nest. he has yet to truly been out of camp, aside from a couple of patrols that he was dragged along on, but he hadn't a chance to explore. the sun's barely peeked from behind its hiding spot in the horizon, and there aren't many cats moving around. due to night training, some cats are just getting to sleep. not raggedpaw. he slowly tumbled out of his nest, paws tripping all over themselves as he blinked slowly with a yawn. his mentor had nudged him to wake up and to meet him by the camp's entrance. he was excited, sure, but he would be more excited once he finally woke up fully. his tail twitched a few times before he pulled himself onto his paws, eyes slowly fluttering closed as he walked towards what he thought was the entrance.
his paws carried him, nose twitching before he just tripped over a stick, falling flat on the ground with a grunt. his eyes slowly blinked and yet another yawn flips off his tongue. he shook his head, pulling himself back to a standing position. he waited for a moment before making his way to the entrance, being as careful as he could to not trip over anything else. the sudden voice of his mentor might have scared him, had he had any fears at all.
"took you long enough. let's go."
adderbite grumbled as raggedpaw straightened himself up, following eagerly behind his mentor. his tail swayed behind him as he began to skip happily, giggling every so often while he trailed after the older tom cat. however, upon adderbite's sudden stop, raggedpaw hadn't been paying close enough attention to stop in time, tumbling into the older of the two with a grunt. he looked up shyly at the warrior who spun his head, a snarl on his face.
"of course they gave me the clumsy one. up on your paws, idiot. we are training to fight, not having a stupid kit adventure."
"y-yes! sorry!"
he scrambled to his paws, standing up as straight as he could, ears pushing back slightly in embarrassment. he couldn't help that he was clumsy. he just sometimes had trouble keeping his paws under him correctly.
"okay, he's ready now. what, uhm, were we doing?"
adderbite spun fully with a grunt, tail lashing with bared teeth. he was losing his patience already. raggedpaw had proven to still be as childish as the day he got his name changed and moved to the apprentice den. adderbite, however, had a solution for that. like his own former mentor, he was going to be tough on raggedpaw.
"fight. I will teach you a few ways to defend yourself and then i will proceed to attack. either you will learn, or you will be hurt. now, pay attention."
raggedpaw nodded his head, stepping back and watching, trying to keep up with adderbite's words and movements. he couldn't, though. there was too much happening that he was quick to be distracted by. it had nothing to do with lack of interest, but rather the fact that raggedpaw naturally could not focus on one thing for too long. it just wasn't something he was good at.
"okay, now. defend."
raggedpaw's ears perked up with a confused look upon his face. had... adderbite really been finished? oh, stars, he hadn't been paying attention at all.
"uhm, wait... he wasn't ready. can you show him again, please?"
adderbite shook his head before running forward and knocking raggedpaw off balance, making him tumble to the ground with a whimper. he pushed back onto his paws, shaking his pelt out.
"do you think that our enemies will stop and ask you if you know how to defend yourself before attacking you? huh? no! they won't! stop your complaining and defend yourself, kit!"
he hissed angrily, before lunging again. raggedpaw barely had time to get out of the way. he was screwed. he kept dodging, just barely, a few times hits landing to cut his skin. it wasn't bad, but it did sting. he heaved in and out, worriedly looking at adderbite who didn't stop once. raggedpaw was getting tired.
"wait, please! th-this one is getting really tired! can raggedpaw just take a bit of a break!?"
he asked, as he panted. he stepped backwards but his mentor didn't stop. sharpened claws dug across his face, making him fall backwards, a hiss of pain leaving him. tears began to fill the wells of his eyes as blood dripped onto the ground.
"he gives up! he gives up! n-no more, please... he's done."
the apprentice whimpered. he couldn't see out of one eye, and he could feel the burn of fresh wounds upon his skin, leaving him confused and dazed.
adderbite snorted, cleaning off his claws and looking over his shoulder before rolling his eyes.
"had you been paying attention, you could have stopped me from harming you in such a manner. tch. i will meet you back at camp. your punishment for losing is finding your own way back."
before raggedpaw could even protest, adderbite's blurry form had disappeared. blood from his wound dripped into his remaining good eye, his ears pushing back with a frown. he slowly stood back up, nose twitching back and forth. the scent of his blood was so strong... how was he supposed to find back? he didn't remember the path here... oh stars. he really needed go get home.
his paws carried him, nose twitching before he just tripped over a stick, falling flat on the ground with a grunt. his eyes slowly blinked and yet another yawn flips off his tongue. he shook his head, pulling himself back to a standing position. he waited for a moment before making his way to the entrance, being as careful as he could to not trip over anything else. the sudden voice of his mentor might have scared him, had he had any fears at all.
"took you long enough. let's go."
adderbite grumbled as raggedpaw straightened himself up, following eagerly behind his mentor. his tail swayed behind him as he began to skip happily, giggling every so often while he trailed after the older tom cat. however, upon adderbite's sudden stop, raggedpaw hadn't been paying close enough attention to stop in time, tumbling into the older of the two with a grunt. he looked up shyly at the warrior who spun his head, a snarl on his face.
"of course they gave me the clumsy one. up on your paws, idiot. we are training to fight, not having a stupid kit adventure."
"y-yes! sorry!"
he scrambled to his paws, standing up as straight as he could, ears pushing back slightly in embarrassment. he couldn't help that he was clumsy. he just sometimes had trouble keeping his paws under him correctly.
"okay, he's ready now. what, uhm, were we doing?"
adderbite spun fully with a grunt, tail lashing with bared teeth. he was losing his patience already. raggedpaw had proven to still be as childish as the day he got his name changed and moved to the apprentice den. adderbite, however, had a solution for that. like his own former mentor, he was going to be tough on raggedpaw.
"fight. I will teach you a few ways to defend yourself and then i will proceed to attack. either you will learn, or you will be hurt. now, pay attention."
raggedpaw nodded his head, stepping back and watching, trying to keep up with adderbite's words and movements. he couldn't, though. there was too much happening that he was quick to be distracted by. it had nothing to do with lack of interest, but rather the fact that raggedpaw naturally could not focus on one thing for too long. it just wasn't something he was good at.
"okay, now. defend."
raggedpaw's ears perked up with a confused look upon his face. had... adderbite really been finished? oh, stars, he hadn't been paying attention at all.
"uhm, wait... he wasn't ready. can you show him again, please?"
adderbite shook his head before running forward and knocking raggedpaw off balance, making him tumble to the ground with a whimper. he pushed back onto his paws, shaking his pelt out.
"do you think that our enemies will stop and ask you if you know how to defend yourself before attacking you? huh? no! they won't! stop your complaining and defend yourself, kit!"
he hissed angrily, before lunging again. raggedpaw barely had time to get out of the way. he was screwed. he kept dodging, just barely, a few times hits landing to cut his skin. it wasn't bad, but it did sting. he heaved in and out, worriedly looking at adderbite who didn't stop once. raggedpaw was getting tired.
"wait, please! th-this one is getting really tired! can raggedpaw just take a bit of a break!?"
he asked, as he panted. he stepped backwards but his mentor didn't stop. sharpened claws dug across his face, making him fall backwards, a hiss of pain leaving him. tears began to fill the wells of his eyes as blood dripped onto the ground.
"he gives up! he gives up! n-no more, please... he's done."
the apprentice whimpered. he couldn't see out of one eye, and he could feel the burn of fresh wounds upon his skin, leaving him confused and dazed.
adderbite snorted, cleaning off his claws and looking over his shoulder before rolling his eyes.
"had you been paying attention, you could have stopped me from harming you in such a manner. tch. i will meet you back at camp. your punishment for losing is finding your own way back."
before raggedpaw could even protest, adderbite's blurry form had disappeared. blood from his wound dripped into his remaining good eye, his ears pushing back with a frown. he slowly stood back up, nose twitching back and forth. the scent of his blood was so strong... how was he supposed to find back? he didn't remember the path here... oh stars. he really needed go get home.